The Labyrinth: Another Tale The Sequel
by Neko-chan -Silvered Tongue
Summary: The story continues; except this time, it's the second generation that plays the game known as 'The Labyrinth'. Read and find out what happens. **Chapter Five Added!**
1. The Story Begins Anew

****The Labyrinth: Another Tale

****The Sequel

  
  


By: Neko-chan

  
  


Disclaimer: I do not own The Labyrinth. If you try to sue me, all I'll be able to do is empty out my pockets and give you some spare change and lit balls. *grins innocently* Hope ya enjoy!

  
  
  
  
  
  


The Labyrinth: Another Tale

The Sequel

  
  


I

  
  


"Alas; the love of women! It is known

to be a lovely and fearful thing."

--George Gordon, Lord Bryon

  
  


~*~

  
  


A pair of purple eyes, the color of spring's first sweet violets, stared into a crystal as it was threaded between a pair of soft white hands. Jade, the daughter of Jareth and Bryanna, smiled softly as she observed the events happening in the flawless crystal.

She hooked several strands of hip length red-orange hair behind her pointed ears, desperate to get it out of her face. The crystal stopped, poised on the tips of her fingertips. Her smile broadened as she watched her mother and father listen to the complaints and worries of the people her mother ruled over, in the Fae realm.

_I'm glad mother and father let me stay home this one time_, Jade thought happily as she watched her mother loose patience with one of her people and turned him into a rowan tree. 

Since Jade was the heir to both the Goblin and Fae realm, her parents had both decided to let her rule in their place, so she could get used to the idea of looking after a realm. She glanced into the ball again, and sighed when she noticed her reflection.

Her mother had stopped aging when she had started practicing magic. So had her father, and all of her relatives. And, like the rest, Jade had stopped aging when she turned sixteen, the age in which she inherited all of her magic, all of her powers.

She looked into the ball again, and giggled when she saw that her father was trying to console her mother, trying to get her to turn the noble Fae back into a living being. Jade grinned at her father unsympathetically. Her mother was known for her temper, and her father would have a difficult convincing Bryanna to turn the noble back into his original form.

"Glad as I am to be left alone for a while", Jade began, talking to herself wistfully, "I wish something _exciting_ would happen, like they do when my father is here."

A goblin, one of the older and wiser ones, looked at her thoughtfully. 

----becarefulwhatyouwishfor---- it hissed.

Jade looked at it in surprise. "Why do you say that?"she asked it.

----because,itmightcometrue----

Jade looked at it for a minute, searching the evil eyes for meaning. But the goblin showed her nothing in it's eyes. Just evil; evil so twisted that it would have made a normal person shudder in fear.

Suddenly, her crystal started to glow and Jade looked at it in surprise. In the depths of the clear ball, she saw an image. Looking closer, she saw that it was a young man, no more than 17. He was tall and broad-shouldered, reminding Jade of the Celtic warriors of old. His eyes were a deep emerald green, the color of the pine forests deep in the Fae realm. His hair was black; so dark, in fact, that it was blue-black. It came to his shoulders and reminded Jade of silk.

Jade's smile broadened when she saw that he was chasing a little boy and didn't look at all happy. _Looks like I might get some excitement after all_, she thought as she continued to watch the two males.

  
  


* * *

  
  


"Damn it, Malcolm! Get your scrawny little butt back here, _right now_!!" Duncan McDouglas yelled in his lilting Scottish burr as he continued to chase the newly turned two year old.. 

The child, Duncan's nephew, just giggled and ran all the faster.

Duncan growled deep in his throat and continued to chase Malcolm, all the while mentally cursing his older brother, Robert, for spawning this little demon.

Finally, after several more minutes of chasing after the toddler, Duncan finally managed to corner him. With a shout of triumph, he grabbed Malcolm and slung him over his muscular shoulder. The child began screaming, but Duncan blocked him out, humming a soft Gaelic lullaby.

As Duncan carried Malcolm up the stairs of the ancient McDouglas castle, the child quieted, listening to the soft croon of the lullaby. But, unfortunately, it was a short repise.

After several more minutes of walking, Duncan finally made it to the nursery, where Malcolm slept. Duncan's brother and his wife had to go to Edinburgh for several weeks, and Duncan had been stuck taking care of Malcolm. And that included putting him to bed, which was the worst thing about baby sitting him. Malcolm _did not_ like being put to bed.

But, luckily, Duncan had inherited his family's strange gift for music, and Malcolm loved being sung lullabies to. Except for tonight.

"DUN WANNA GO BED!!!!!!!"he screamed at his uncle, curling his hands into little fists and pounding them against Duncan's shoulders. "DUN WANNA GO BED!!!!!!! CAN'T MAKE ME!!!!!!!!"

Duncan sighed, and softly tossed his nephew into his crib. "Quiet," he ordered, his usually soft voice, threaded with a Scottish burr, was now rock hard.

Malcolm just screwed up his face and glared at Duncan. Then, he began to scream. Duncan winced and glared back. After several more minutes of enduring Malcolm's screaming, he finally roared, "I SAID QUIET!!"

Shocked, Malcolm immediately quieted. Duncan had never raised his voice before at Malcolm, _never._ "Now," Duncan began, still glaring at his nephew, "I will give you a choice. You can go to bed with or without a story. Which do you want? It's up to you. But, before I begin, I promise you this: You _will_ go to bed."

Malcolm pouted, then muttered, "Wanna story."

Duncan smiled cheerfully, knowing it was forced. "Good. Now, I'll tell you a story that Robert, your daddy, told me when I was a little boy. Do you want to hear it?"

"Yesh," Malcolm replied, lisping slightly.

"Fine. Here it goes: Long, long ago, when the world was newly made, there were four major races. One of the was the Tuatha de Danaan. The Sidhe. The Fae. They were beautiful, these little people. But, they were also powerful. Do you know why?"

"No," was the muttered reply.

"They could work magic, that's why. Now, one day, there was a huge battle, and the Sidhe lost. They were banished to the hills, underground, in Scotland and Ireland, and some parts of England. There, they formed realms. A Fae realm, an Elf realm, a Selkie realm, and....... a Goblin realm."

At this, Malcolm's eyes became wide-eyed and he stared at his uncle in fear.

"Yes, little one. There was a Goblin realm, ruled by a cruel and evil King. He never loved, except for one time. He loved a girl, but she did not love him back. And so, he became even more cruel, spurned by bitterness and hate."

The little boy shivered a bit, terrified by Duncan's story.

Seeing this, Duncan switched to another story. "Malcolm, do you know where the McDouglas's get their music talent?" he asked the small toddler.

"Nu....."was the uncertain reply.

"Well, according to legend, we are descendants of the Elves. That is why some of us get slightly pointed ears." And then he leaned forward; to show that, indeed, Duncan's ears were slightly pointed. "It is our Gift," he continued. "Our little bit of magic."

And, with that, he stood up and started to head for the door. Malcolm saw this and he again began to scream. Duncan, finally beyond frustrated, turned to his nephew. "Gods bless it!! Sometimes, I do wish that Robert's stories are true! In fact.......I wish that the goblins would come and take you away from me, right now!! If only to be rid of you for a few quiet hours!"

Malcolm stopped screaming, and looked at Duncan in stunned silence. He was a child; and, somewhere deep inside of himself, where the world had not yet begun to corrupt, he knew that Duncan had just done a very bad thing, and he would later regret it. 

Duncan gave his nephew one more glare, then turned off the light and walked back down the stairs. Malcolm, terrified and somehow knowing what Duncan had just done, screamed for his uncle.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Jade stared into the crystal ball and grinned.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Duncan made it to the top of the stairs before he stopped, knowing that something was wrong. Malcolm wasn't screaming anymore.


	2. Mockery---Jade, the Goblin Princess

**The Labyrinth: Another Tale **

**The Sequel**

  
  


II

  
  


"Somewhere there waiteth in this world of ours

For one lone soul another lonely soul,

Each choosing each through all the weary hours,

And meeting strangely at one sudden goal,

Then blend they, like green leaves with golden flowers,

Into one beautiful perfect whole;

And life's long night is ended, and the way

Lies open onward to eternal day."

----Edwin Arnold

  
  


~*~

  
  


Duncan stopped at the top of the stairs head cocked and listening thoughtfully. **_Nothing._**__ There was nothing. Absolute silence.

He frowned in concern and turned around, his strides long and purposeful as he headed back to the nursery.

_Malcolm should still be screaming_, Duncan thought, worry forming a lump in his stomach. _He should be screaming for at least half an hour more; until, finally, he exhausts himself and falls asleep. Something's wrong. Something's not right._

He stopped at the doorway, then quickly reached out and flipped the light switch on. The bulb went out in a shower of sparks. With a surprised curse, Duncan stepped back, startled, just barely avoiding getting hit with the sparks.

Once he was sure that the light bulb would produce no more sparks, Duncan stepped deeper into the nursery, accepting the darkness and blending in with it. His foots were light-footed, a lasting testimony to his ancient Celtic warrior ancestors.

"Malcolm......" he called softly, as he quietly made his way closer to his nephew's bed. "Malcolm......answer me now, damn it!"

An evil giggle greeted him as he yanked off the bed's covers to reveal that his nephew, Malcolm, was no longer there. Duncan whirled around, his hands balling into fists. "Who's there??" he yelled, his green eyes narrowing in fury. "Show yourselves to me, _now_!!"

The only response was another giggle, only this time, others joined in with it.

"Who are you??" Duncan yelled again, as he quickly looked around the room, searching for the gigglers. "What have you done with my nephew?"

----stupidhuman----

----you'rejustliketherest----

Duncan's eyes widened at the evil hiss. No human would _ever _be able to sound that evil. "What do you mean, I'm just like the rest?" he asked cautiously, finally realizing that he wasn't dealing with anything normal.

----theyallforgottheoldways----

----theystoppedbelieving----

----theywerecarelessintheirwords----

----theyregrettedtheirwords,justassoonastheywereuttered----

----justasyouwillsoonlearntoregretthem----

"What......what do you mean?" Duncan asked the hissing voices, his eyes wide, trying to find the hissing speakers.

----youwillfindoutsoonenough----

A soft breeze, unnoticed before, soon began to blow more forcefully, picking up toys and blankets and tossing them around the large room. Duncan covered his head, trying to protect his face from being hit. When the gale stopped, Duncan's arms fell to his side and he looked around, trying to see if he could finally find the speakers.

Instead, he spotted a stunning peregrine falcon resting on Malcolm's crib's bed post. It cocked it's head at him, staring at him in interest.

And it was then that Duncan noticed that the bird's eyes were not the typical golden brown normally found with birds of prey. This falcon's eyes were.........violet.

As if sensing this, the bird flew up; flapping to stay in midair. The gale-force wind returned and Duncan again covered his face. Only, this time, when he uncovered his face, the bird was gone. In it's place was......a person.

Finally, _finally_, Duncan figured it out. He stared at the figure, who was shrouded in darkness, in horror. "You're the Goblin King! You took my nephew away!"

A soft laugh came from the figure, and it stepped out into the open. Instead of the man Duncan was expecting, a young girl, who looked no older than sixteen, stepped out into view. She wore her hip length red-orange hair loose, letting it cascade around her. Her boots were black, and came to mid-calf. Her tights were also black, clinging to her like second skin. Her undershirt was long sleeved, large, and billowy; and was a violet the same color of her eyes. Her over-tunic was also black, and was mid-thigh length.

"Who are you?" Duncan asked, staring at her in interest. "You aren't the Goblin King."

The girl smiled, her full lips curving into a vicious smile. "No," she answered, "I'm not the Goblin King. I'm his daughter, Jade. I'm the Goblin Princess."


	3. Regretted Words

III

"Learning is not child's play; we cannot learn without pain."

--Aristotle

  
  


"Goblin Princess?" Duncan repeated absently. He blinked, trying to ignore the empty crib beside his hand. "What do you mean, Goblin Princess? There is no Goblin Princess. The Goblin King spurned love; he was rejected by the woman he loved. There is no way that you could be the Goblin King's daughter!!"

Jade smirked, her eyes lighting up with mischief. "Oh, no?" she asked the stunned youth. "But couldn't something change the story that you know so well? Couldn't the Goblin King get a happily-ever-after?"

Duncan shook his head, silently disagreeing with her. "No, never. Something like that doesn't deserve to have a happily-ever-after. The King was evil. Everyone knows that. He couldn't have gotten a happily-ever-after because he's evil; and that means that your claim of being his daughter is false. You're lying. Now tell me where my nephew is!!"

Jade frowned in disgust. _Mortals are so stupid......when you finally tell them the truth, they refuse to believe you!! _ _No wonder mother wanted to leave here and live with father....._ Jade glared at the taller teenager. "You very well know where your nephew is, Duncan. He is where all the other children are. Where all the _unwanted_ children go. To the Goblin realm. Where you wished him to be."

"No! That's not true! I didn't mean the words!" Duncan said desperately, wanting his little nephew back now that he was gone.

Jade shrugged and gave him a dark smile. "They all say that. I guess now.....you'll learn to watch what you say, am I right?" With another amused grin at Duncan's expense, she pointed to a large grandfather clock that had suddenly appeared at her right. "You know the stories, Scotsman. You have thirteen hours to retrieve your nephew, Malcolm. If not...." she shrugged, "he becomes one of us."

With another dark grin aimed at Duncan she repeated what her father had said so many times before. "Such a pity......" The goblins broke out in laughter and Jade laughed with them, her laughter darker and much more amused than the others. And then she was gone.

Duncan stared at the place where Jade stood just a minute before. "But I didn't mean it...." he whispered softly. He hung his head; and, one by one, he let the tears fall.

~*~

Jade stared into her crystal and grinned in amusement. _Now I know why father enjoyed tormenting mortals so much. It's fun!_ She sighed in contentment and settled back into her throne. Idly, the ball began to weave between her fingers, soon joined by others.

----didyougetyourwish?---- the old goblin asked, scuttling up to her.

Jade smiled darkly down at it. "Of course," she answered, watching as Duncan slowly raised his head, a determined expression flittering over his face. "I think that I'm going to enjoy this game......" she continued softly.

The elderly goblin just shook it's head. ----don'tsaywhatyoumightregretlater----

"What do you mean?" the Princess asked, throwing a sharp look over the crystal. The old goblin seemed smug. Too smug. "Why do you say that?"

----you'llfindoutsoonenough---- was the answer. Then, before Jade could ask yet another question, it scuttled away, blending in with the darkness in the throne room. Jade glared after it. Then, she sighed and settled into a more comfortable position. _Well.......like the old one said, I'll find out soon enough._ she thought. _But I wonder if I'll like this surprise......_

~*~

Duncan lifted his head. His eyes seemed brighter, more determined._ I made a mistake....._ he thought. _That won't happen again._ _Ever._ "Don't worry, little nephew. I'll find you and I'll take you home," Duncan vowed.

And then his world went topsy-turvy.


	4. Into The Belly of the Beast

IV

"Happy is the child whose father goes to the devil."

--Sixteenth-century proverb

  
  


With an extremely loud thud, Duncan was dropped on his butt in front of the Labyrinth's main entrance. He blinked in surprise, opening his mouth for a puzzled question. It was interrupted by his harp case landing softly on his head.

Duncan stood up in pain. "Damn it!!" he roared, rubbing his head. The sound of Jade's laughter surrounded him and he glared darkly. "When I get a hold of her......" was his dark promise. Still rubbing his head, Duncan walked up to the gates, frowning thoughtfully. _How the_ _hell do I get in?_ he thought to himself. _There's no opening, no doors, no nothing. Just wall.....and two doors. But no handle to open the doors._

Shrugging and figuring he had nothing to lose, Duncan walked up to the doors. Glaring intimidatingly, he commanded, "Open these doors and allow me entrance to the Labyrinth."

Nothing happened. His scowl slowly becoming darker, Duncan tried again. "Open up!!" Still, nothing happened. The doors wiggled at him, as if silently mocking him. Duncan growled in annoyance and kicked a door in a fit of anger.

A giggle brought his attention to his right. A girl stood there. She looked like any other girl, she had bright blue eyes, long golden hair, and was wearing a silken dress. Only....there was something about her that separated her from other, normal girls. Her ears were delicately pointed, more so than Duncan's own, and she had glittering wings.

Duncan blinked, thinking that the wings were part of his imagination, or maybe that his vision was going bad in his not-very-old age. "What.....what are you?" he finally gathered up the courage to ask. The girl's grin seemed to brighten. Tossing a strand of gold hair over her shoulder, she gave him an assessing look.

"Do you mean to tell me that even though you share the Elven blood......you've forgotten all of the ancient memories?" she asked, not without a bit of scorn. Mutely, Duncan nodded his head yes. The girl-Fae shook her head in disgust. "Then it's no wonder you can't get through the door, you silly fool! Especially since you don't know what I am; and I being the Keeper of the Gate."

Trying a guess, Duncan asked, "Are you one of the Fae? One of the Tuatha de Danaan?"

The girl snorted her amusement. "Not likely," she replied.

"A shapeshifter?" Duncan hazarded a guess.

The girl sighed. "No, you fool. All of the Fae, and the other Clans, can shapeshift. Try again. What am I? And this time, before you open that great, gaping hole you call a mouth, look with your Self, not with your eyes."

Duncan sighed and closed his eyes. Inwardly, he started listing all of the magical creatures he knew. _Unicorns, dragons, selkies, angels, brownies, sprites, faeries, sphinxes, centaurs, gremlins, campchurches, hippocampuses, phoenixes, leprechauns, elves, goblins, gremlins, griffins, mermaids, spirits.... _At the last creature, Duncan's gem bright green eyes sprung open. "You're a spirit?" he asked softly, wary of being rebuked.

The girl clapped her hands together. "Finally! But we'd rather much prefer to be called Elementals. And I, Branwen, was charged with guarding the Labyrinth's gate by the first Goblin King. And I shall continue doing so; forever." She shot a mischievous grin at Duncan. "Good luck, Duncan of the Elf Clan. You're going to need it." She bowed at him, and then was gone.

Duncan stared at the spot where Branwen had stood just seconds before. "This place is so strange," he muttered. "And I haven't even gone through the Labyrinth's gates!" Reminded by his last sentence, Duncan turned around and stared at the huge doors. They were still closed tightly. Duncan sighed and said, "Well......I guess not _all_ magical creatures can be trusted."

Something hit Duncan on the back of his head. "Fool!" he heard an invisible voice hiss. "I never said I would open the gates _for_ you!! That's your job to figure out! All I asked was if you knew what I was!!" A snort of disgust came from the air to his right. "At this rate, you'll never make it to the castle." Duncan scowled at the invisible Elemental and she laughed mockingly. "Think, Duncan of the Elf Clan. What magical Gift was given to you? The answer to my question is the Key to the Labyrinth." And, with that, she was gone.

Duncan sighed, realizing that this adventure wasn't going to be a very pleasant one. _What did she mean......the magical Gift given to me....?_ And then, it hit him: The story that he had been telling Malcolm! The music, that was his Gift.......and that was probably why Jade had given him his harp. It was the musical instrument that he had always played; had played since he was three years old. Grinning to himself, Duncan got out his harp and began strumming it, humming along with the music. Once he had picked a favorite Scottish song, he began to sing with the music.

Slowly, as if reluctant, the Labyrinth's doors slowly swung open. Duncan's grin broadened and he stepped into the maze. Once he was completely inside the entrance, he stopped playing. When that happened, the doors slammed shut with a resounding 'BANG'. And for some reason, Duncan had the feeling that they wouldn't open again.......even if he played his music.

He sighed and started down the path to his right. "Here I go.....into the belly of the beast."

~*~

Jade grinned, staring into the crystal ball. Giggling, she turned her attention to the goblins surrounding the throne. In the middle of the large group, Malcolm sat wide-eyed. Whenever a goblin would scuttle closer, Malcolm would whimper in fear and edge backwards, towards Jade and her throne.

Seeing this, Jade tilted her head to the side and grinned maliciously. She was about to say something when a large dark form glided into the throne room, headed straight for Jade. Seeing this, Jade's grin softened with affection.

"How is mother and father, Heart'sAflame?" Jade asked curiously, leaning forward in her anxiousness for news. The fully grown (and much larger) dragon grinned up at the Princess.

"Exceedingly well.....though King Jareth still can't convince your mother to turn that Fae back into his normal self."

At this, Jade snickered. "I'm not surprised," she answered. "You know mother....she can be extremely stubborn when she wants to be. How else could she have convinced father that she wanted to stay Underground?"

The dragon laughed, a deep rumbling echoing throughout the room. It was then when she noticed the small boy huddled in the group of goblins and the crystal ball that Jade was twining between her fingers. "What have I missed, little one?" the dragon asked curiously.

Jade smiled evilly. "There's a mortal in the Labyrinth."


	5. Deadly Innocence

A/N: Okay.....normally, I don't do this.....at least with my non-anime stories. But, there's a first time for everything, right? So....I've decided to dedicate my story to someone. Someone who's extremely supportive of my stories! So.....Sallie Drazzi, this story is for you!! *glomps* (Oh, and I also want to give a BIG thank you to dawn.....who always reviews my stories! Thank you, both of you!!)

  
  


V

"Where shall we find her, how shall we sing to her,

Fold our hands round her knees, and cling?

O that man's heart were as fire and could spring to her,

Fire, or the strength of the streams that spring!

For the stars and the winds are unto her

As raiment, as songs of the harp-player;

For the risen stars and the fallen cling to her,

And the southwest-wind and the west-wind sing."

--A.C. Swinburne

Chorus from "Atalanta" (1865)

"Another mortal is in the Labyrinth?" Heart'sAflame asked thoughtfully, watching the Goblin Princess as she continued to weave the crystal through her slender fingers. "When did this happen?"

Jade smirked and her violet eyes shifted from the crystal ball to Malcolm. "Just a little bit ago," she stated, amusement making her voice drawl. "Duncan, the little one's older uncle, just recently figured out how to gain entrance into the Labyrinth. It took him a while to figure out the gate's secret. He lost time because of that....."

"Oh?" Heart'sAflame asked, flicking her scaly tail in amusement. "Do you think he'll manage to make it to the castle, Jade?"

Jade sighed and once again began to thread the crystal through her pale fingers. "They all manage to reach the castle, sooner or later. Reaching to castle in the allotted time is another matter, however.........."

Heart'sAflame golden eyes flickered from Jade to the boy-child, Malcolm. Making a thoughtful noise, she flicked her tail once again and left, sliding out of the throne room's doorways with a sigh of scales brushing against marble. And then, Jade was left alone with her crystal, the goblins, and the toddler.

"I wonder......." Jade began thoughtfully. "Will you make it to the castle in time?" She suddenly stood up and the crystal fell from her hands, crashing to the floor and smashing into thousands of glass shards. And, with a thought, Jade disappeared.

* * *

"This place is so strange," Duncan muttered to himself, brushing a hand against the Labyrinth's walls as he continued to walk deeper into the large maze. "So many hidden traps, illusions that would be normally hard to spot......but why are they so blindingly obvious now? Could this Labyrinth be changing me?"

Sighing, he shook his head and returned his mind back to the real world. Or, as real as this world could get. _Now where am I?_ he thought. Like so many times before in the past hour, the Labyrinth had shifted once again. Instead of the normal drab gray walls, he was now in a meadow. Tall willow and ash trees surrounded the glen, making it sheltered and well-hidden. In the middle of the glade, shaded by a particularly large ash tree, a pool shone at him. Even from this distance, the water looked cool and refreshing. Duncan stepped forward, his mouth suddenly dry with thirst.

A soft whinny stopped him. Out of the shadows stepped a creature that Duncan would have thought that he would have never seen.....ever. Not one single time in his lifetime.

Delicate features, something more than horse and goat.......cloven hooves that never seemed to touch the grass beneath them.......finer than silk shetlocks, surrounding the hooves in a cloud of moonbeams. And a coat that shimmered with every step, shining with an internal light that had nothing to do with magic. It put even the sun and moon to shame. A unicorn. Duncan was looking at a unicorn.

It began to walk towards the young man, chiming with merry bells with every step. But....as it stepped closer, Duncan began to feel uneasy. Something was......off. And when it was only five feet from the black haired youth, Duncan finally spotted what it was. The unicorn had sharp canines. The teeth of a killer, not a gentle magical beast. And, instead of the compassionate eyes that were always spoken of in legends, this unicorn's eyes were blood red and a killing rage filled them. It snorted at Duncan, then shimmered. In a blinding flash of light......the once pure white unicorn was now a deep black obsidian.

Turning towards Duncan, it lowered it's horn. It was when it began to charge at him when Duncan realized that he was going to die.


End file.
